


Costumes and Crushes

by wckdflares



Category: The Maze Runner (Movies), The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types, The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Crushes, Fluff and Humor, Halloween, M/M, Parties, They’re both dorks, halloween fic yay, i love making sonya and newt twins, well duh you can tell that by the title
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2021-01-15 08:43:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21250604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wckdflares/pseuds/wckdflares
Summary: Halloween is Newt Ross’ thing. Sure, maybe he goes a little overboard sometimes, but if you’re not going overboard... are you really having fun? With that motto, he’s completely determined and focused to make this year even better than the last despite the stresses of life. Unfortunately, that means he’ll miss what’s right under his nose...





	Costumes and Crushes

When it came to Halloween in their tight-knit town, the Ross twins had become prominent figures, or at least they were in their minds.

From the adults being thoroughly impressed with their coordinated costumes back in the trick or treating days, to classmates eagerly awaiting their annual party presently, it really did feel as if all eyes were on them.

This seventeenth year was going to be no different in terms of enthusiasm. At least that had been the goal. 

“Okay, these are super cool.” Newt holds up one of the rustic tombstone decorations Sonya brought home. He can already picture how great they’ll look in the yard.

“I know, right?” She grins, clearly pleased. “I found them at the knickknack store downtown.”

“Nice! That place is a goldmine.” He gives one more approving nod before placing the decor back in the shopping bag. “Did you see any good costume stuff?”

“Loads and loads of it.” Sonya takes a seat at the table next to him. 

“Dude, you haven’t even figured out what you’re going to be.”

A sigh escapes Newt at the mention of his dilemma. He had never thought he’d be able to put “procrastination” and “Halloween costume” in the same sentence, but lack of inspiration and schoolwork haven’t exactly made things easy.  
“Please, don’t remind me.”

Sonya frowns as she starts to fidget with the pumpkin-themed placemat in front of her. “I’m really sorry for bailing on you this year.”

“Bailing? I told you I wasn’t upset.” Newt recognizes the guilty look on her face. “One of us was going to have to break away from the matching twin thing eventually.”

“Besides, I think Harriet is a worthy replacement for me.”

That gets a smile out of her. “An improvement.”

“You haven’t even told me what you guys are going as yet, but I already know it won’t beat our peanut butter and jelly outfits from seventh grade.”

“Fair point.”

The nostalgia that memory stirs up gives Newt a ping of sadness and the urge to go flip through their special Halloween photo album. This year already has a bittersweet feeling being they’ll be graduating in a couple of months. 

He sits back and sighs. “I can’t believe I’m going solo this year.”

As soon as he speaks, it hits him. Between life and writing a certain pain in the ass paper, he’s completely forgotten about the inquiring text he received a few days earlier.

“Shit!”

Sonya shoots him a look of alarm. “What is it?”

“Thomas asked me if I wanted to do matching costumes,” Newt swiftly pulls his phone from his pocket. “And I fucking forgot to respond.”

“Thomas?”

“Yeah, Thomas.” He cringes at the unread message glaring at him from his inbox. “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.”

Newt was actually going to tell him he was up for it, but he must’ve gotten distracted and his fried brain forgot to reply altogether.

He types out his originally planned message at lightning speed and sets his phone down with a flourish after pressing send.

“Better late than never. I hope.”

Sonya doesn’t even have a chance to respond before Newt’s ringtone chimes loudly. Both heads turn to stare at the now lit-up phone displaying a message notification.

Huh? Did he really get a text back in two seconds after not replying for two days?

Sure enough, there’s an eager response punctuated with a smiley emoticon waiting for him. He tries to quickly finish up the conversation because Sonya is still sitting right there and it feels rude. Luckily for him, Thomas is evidently a fast replier.

She’s looking at him expectantly when he glances back up. “So?”

“We’re doing it. Costumes being the ‘it’.” Newt lets out a deep sigh, relieved he finally has this figured out. Well, kinda figured out since he doesn’t know exactly what those costumes are.

Sonya grins and leans across the table to give him a high five. “Newt’s back in business!”

“I sure am!” He reaches over to return it. 

Her upbeat energy is contagious enough for him to do a little victory dance right where he’s sitting.

At that moment, tests and deadlines are forgotten and his favorite holiday has taken the front seat in his mind again.

////

When Newt agreed to meet Thomas at the local mall, it hadn’t occurred to him just how awkward that setup might be. It wasn’t an icky ‘I need to get the hell out of here’ kind of situation, but an unrelenting awkwardness that made the silence in between conversations last way too long.

Sure, they got along well enough and were in the same friend group that consisted of a handful or so people, but it had never been just the two of them hanging out together before. Thomas was the type of friend you’d share small talk during class with and nothing more, you know, that surface-level stuff.

They were sitting at a food court table in their own little bubble of quiet that contrasted to the constant background noise of people talking and walking.

The usual ‘school fucking sucks’ and all that jazz of a conversation has ended and neither one of them has brought up the subject of costumes, seemingly waiting for the other.

Newt traces his name in the moist condensation that’s formed on the cup of the strawberry slushy he had bought. 

He feels his phone buzz in his pocket and quickly checks it just to see it’s a spam notification from a stupid game. He was for sure he had turned those damn things off a long time ago.

“Anything important?” Thomas asks after swallowing the pretzel bites he’s been nibbling on rather than talking. 

“Definitely not important.” Newt shrugs as he puts his phone back away. That’s when he notices a pretty obvious smudge of cheese sauce smeared on Thomas’ upper lip.

He makes a subtle gesture to his own mouth. “Hey, you got a little something…”

Thomas instantly makes a grab for one of the napkins on the table and nearly knocks over his own drink in the process. “Shit!”

He’s actually turned beet red and scrambling to clean his face in such a frantic way that makes Newt almost wish he hadn’t said anything at all. Or agreed to this entire thing.

Okay, that wasn’t true. He liked Thomas quite a bit, he was a laidback charismatic guy and usually not this uptight. Maybe he’s just having an off day.

“I think you got it all.” Newt laughs a little in an attempt to lighten the mood. 

It kinda works or at least gets Thomas to stop wiping.

He freezes and drops the crumpled napkin like a guilty kid. With a groan, he starts to rub at his temple. “Dude, I’m sorry. I didn’t get that much sleep last night and I’m just out of it.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Newt figures lack of sleep makes a lot of sense for this behavior. “So…”

“What the hell are we going to be for Halloween?”

Thomas grins and settles back in his chair, visibly relaxed by this statement. “Now, that’s the real question, isn’t it?”

“I don’t think we’ll be able to top anything Sonya and you have done throughout the years.” He frowns slightly.  
“Ninth grade really wasn’t our best work.” Newt shrugs as he playfully flicks the straw wrapper he crumpled into a ball at Thomas. 

He sends the wrapper back across the table. “I thought you looked good as Thing 1.”

“The blue wig was hideous.” This time, it’s a discarded napkin that gets tossed through the air. “I wanted to, still do actually, burn that thing.”

“You pulled it off.” Thomas’ eyes hold their gaze on Newt for a moment. He clears his throat and takes this opportunity to start gathering the trash from their snacks. 

“Maybe I’d wear it again if it wasn’t so fucking itchy.”

Newt knows he most definitely did not pull off that atrocious ball of blue fur in any way, shape, or form. 

“So, are colored wigs for our costume are out of the question then?” Thomas says as he nearly trips on his way to the trash can. 

“Yes, if that’s possible.” Newt gets up from his chair, cringing at the ridiculously loud sound it makes when he pushes it back under the table. “Wait, where even is Spirit Halloween this year?”

“Uh, it’s over by that bakery with the really good cookies.” Thomas looks at him thoughtfully. “I thought you were an expert with all things associated with Halloween?”

“Yeah, unfortunately, I haven’t been able to make it a priority.”

They don’t talk much as they make their way to the store located on the complete opposite side of the mall, but the silence is much more comfortable this time around.

Thomas does make a quick pit stop at one of those little gumball machines that nobody actually seems to use. He gets a piece of candy for himself and offers one to Newt, which he respectfully declines.

Newt gets hyped up as soon as he spots the temporary banner for what’s undoubtedly the best seasonal store. 

He’d visited once with Sonya when it first opened back in September and it was a real shame he hadn’t had the time to return since then.

When he was younger, he’d beg their mother to take him nearly every day. Well, once he got over his initial fear of the motion-activated animatronics at the entrance that is. 

Oh, those were much simpler times. Standing a few feet away from the door, too afraid to walk past the scary robot, but too stubborn to let Mom take you home.

This time, when Newt sees the grotesque zombie they have set up, he attempts to mimic its face and jerky movements. He’s sure he can hear Thomas laughing behind him over the sound of a grave voice spewing out ominous warnings.

“Think you could take a picture of us?” He motions back at his new friend, making sure to move out of the walkway. 

Thomas looks taken aback at the request, but he fumbles to get his phone out. “Uh, sure.”

Newt gets his face nice and close to the now still zombie, which has a funny looking straw hat on top of its mangled head and poses with a broad smile and thumbs up. 

He’s extremely aware of how stupid he must look doing this, but strangely enough, he doesn’t really feel subconscious.

In fact, Thomas appears to be more uncomfortable than him as he takes the pictures. “Is that good?”

“Yup!” Newt steps aside and triggers the sensor once more as he walks away. “Just send me all of them.”

He might post them on Instagram, but more than likely they’ll just remain in his camera roll and serve as a mood booster whenever he happens to come across them in the next few months.

“You know, I was always too scared to come in here when I was little,” Thomas says after a group of particularly young-looking kids pass by. “I may have cried once or twice.” 

“You did? Poor baby Thomas.” Newt laughs as they walk up to the store’s display of their most impressive, not to mention expensive, electronic decorations.   
They tend to stick to a different theme every year and this time around, it’s a spooky farmyard complete with mutant pigs and devil-faced scarecrows.

They’re all activated by means of pressing a button on the floor and Newt doesn’t hesitate to step on the first one with great vigor.

A scarecrow dummy that had been sitting on a bench suddenly bends into a standing position with a jarring sound effect. Thomas jumps five feet in the air.

That gets a good laugh out of both of them. Any of that unbearable awkwardness from earlier doesn’t seem to be present.

After Newt finally gets tired of watching Thomas somehow have the same reaction to every jump scaring robot, they dive into the sea of never-ending rows of costumes.

The mask section, something they probably won’t need, is their first stop because Newt still has absolutely no idea about what to actually dress up as. His mind is blanker than when he sits down to write an essay and that’s saying something.

“So.” Thomas picks up a disgusting looking werewolf mask. “Are we even buying anything here? You and Sonya always seemed like the type to sew your own crap.”

“Not that I think it’s crap!” He quickly adds, shooting a panicked glance at Newt. “I meant...I meant crap as a general statement.”

“I know.” He only watches as Thomas fumbles around trying to place the mask back on the rack. “Sometimes we’ll go here or another store. Thrift shops and DIY tutorials are useful too. It really just depends on the item.”

“Oh.”

Newt waits for him to further elaborate on that response, but he just picks up another gross rubber mask without a single mumble. It looks like they’re falling back into the old pattern of who has to carry the conversation.

He certainly isn’t really contributing much to their nonexistent brainstorm as they continue to wander pretty much aimlessly. To be fair, all Newt’s doing is pointing out costumes he’s nearly bought in the past.

Eventually, he actually starts to take a closer look at them, trying to salvage every last bit of his brainpower to think of an idea, any idea at this point.

“Uh, can you fit in that?” Thomas’s face is scrunched up in confusion. 

That last assignment must’ve really taken its toll because Newt had started to examine a skeleton jumpsuit thing meant for eight-year-olds. He hadn’t even realized they crossed over into the children’s section.

“It might be a bit tight.”

He huffs in frustration as he goes to put it back in its place rather aggressively. Too aggressively as the costume bag falls to the floor, missing the hook completely.

Nice one, Newt.

With unfortunate synchronization, both him and Thomas crouch down to retrieve the bag, their heads missing painful collusion by what had to be mere centimeters.

“Oh, fuck.”

Newt’s feet slip right from under him and he falls flat on his ass with a decent thud. As his face grows ever so slightly warmer, he calmly gets himself back standing and dusts at his jeans with a deep sigh.

“Sorry! My fault.” Thomas sheepishly picks up the skeleton costume, the one that Newt now wants to throw in the firepit along with that less than flattering blue wig, and slides it back on the rack and by the grace of God doesn’t knock anything else over.

“It’s fine. Could’ve been worse. Like, “you giving me a black eye with your forehead” type of bad.” Newt laughs half-heartedly.

“That wouldn’t have been good.”

“This day hasn’t been good. Or this week. Or this month…” He says without even thinking. “Maybe we should go.” 

Thomas’s face falls in a millisecond, but he nods. “Okay. Yeah.”  
They don’t make it very far before Newt speaks up again. It only took a few steps of thinking for him to backtrack on his rash decision. He’s not leaving this store without at least an idea of what he’s wearing on his favorite night.

“Hey, I feel like my attitude has been kinda shitty and I want you to know it has nothing to do with you.” He takes a deep breath as he makes sure to actually look at Thomas. “I’m just… stressed and discouraged.”

“I hate the idea of being frustrated about something I used to love more than anything.”

He’s especially tense as he waits for Thomas to respond to his sudden and out of place explanation.

“I’m really sorry that you’re stressed out, but I’ve had a good time hanging out with you if that means anything.” Those words come with an ample amount of reassurance. “So, don’t worry about it. You’re fine in my book.”

“Thanks. I really appreciate that.” Newt just hopes his broad smile properly demonstrates the consolation that kind response has brought him. “I’m on a bit of a rollercoaster right now.”

“Well, it doesn’t particularly show.”

They exchange more smiles and surprisingly Thomas doesn’t let their newly renewed conversation fall back in the pit of one-worded answers.  
“Hey, did you ever watch the Charlie Brown Halloween special when you were younger?” 

It’s a bit of a random question, but somehow has perfect timing for their circumstances. An ideal icebreaker question.

“Of course I did. It was my favorite.” Newt nods eagerly as pleasant memories float around his mind. Wouldn’t it be nice to be seven-years-old again?

“I went through a phase in first grade where I watched it every day.” Thomas makes a sort of ‘yikes’ expression using his eyebrows and wide eyes. “Multiple times actually.”

“Damn, I probably would’ve done that too if it wasn’t for Sonya.” He can almost hear those many fights all over again. “She thought- no she still thinks it’s boring. Boring.” 

“Boring? Guess Sonya isn’t as cool as I thought.” Thomas jokes as he turns his attention to the little clothing rack to his left, combing through the selection of various novelty holiday t-shirts.

“Ha!”

Without knocking any of the other hangers down, he pulls out and reveals an orange shirt with a design of their beloved show printed on the front. He holds it up to his chest and it actually pairs quite well with the ripped light washed skinny jeans he’s wearing.

“An absolute classic.” For the second time, Newt’s mouth begins to work faster than his brain. “You know what’s funny?”

Oh man, he’s hoping by some off chance Thomas didn’t hear that because he really doesn’t want to explain what’s funny. It’s embarrassing. Way too embarrassing.

“What?”

Newt mentally scolds himself and stares intently at his shoes, paying close attention to every scuff and scratch. “I used to want to dress up as Snoopy.” 

That’s certainly one way to grab someone’s attention. Thomas’s amusement is clear and instantaneous despite any efforts he might have made to hide it and keep a straight face.

“Snoopy?”

“Yeah. Snoopy. Sonya would’ve been Sally if she were cultured like us.” He wistfully explains his past vision. “It could’ve been great. At least that’s what I used to think.”

Thomas’s smirk has disappeared and he’s broken into a full grin that’s paired with chuckling, an almost twinkling type of laugh, that doesn’t stop when he starts to speak again.

“Newt, that’s… equal parts hilarious and adorable.” He exclaims through his laughter as he goes to put the t-shirt back. “And honestly, it’s actually not a bad idea.”

As he says that last part, there’s a shift in tone that indicates a realization and Newt’s just surprised someone finds that childhood idea anything other than cringe-worthy.

“What if I was Charlie Brown?”

If he’s implying what he seems to be implying, there’s no possible way Newt can take him seriously. He really can’t.

“Then I would be very excited to meet you.”

Thomas is persistent. “No, seriously. It could work.” 

Technically, he’s right. It could work. It’s more of a matter of whether Newt is willing to dress up as a dog or not. 

“I don’t know…” He deeply sighs before continuing. “We would look weird… I mean… You know… “

“Isn’t that the point?” Thomas doesn’t seem a single bit fazed by his weak, nonexistent actually, argument. “It’s Halloween. Shouldn't we look weird? Shouldn’t we try to surprise people?”

This is the most introverted and confident he’s been all afternoon and it’s to speak in favor of a Charlie Brown costume.

“Besides, I’m sure there’s at least a tiny part of you that still wants that Snoopy costume so I really think we should do it.” He pauses. “Only if you’re comfortable, of course.”  
Newt’s mainly just worried it’ll be humiliating to walk into his and Sonya’s party in those costumes, but could it really be worse than that cursed blue wig he once willingly wore? It’s his last Halloween before he becomes a legal adult and all that junk and it might almost be poetic in a way to finally live out a past childhood dream.

“Okay. First of all, are you willing to wear a bald cap if I can find one?”

///////

If one thing had perfectly worked out this October, it was the fact that Halloween had actually fallen on a Friday this year. The fun night they had planned could occur on the actual holiday and be followed by a weekend of relaxation.

After a tiring day at school day, doing some last-minute party setup with Sonya, and finally winding down in his room for a bit, it was time for the moment Newt had been equally dreading and anticipating.

He pulls his favorite navy colored sweater off over his head and just stares at the contents of his outfit for tonight sitting in a pile on the bed.

They could’ve easily purchased a Snoopy costume from Target, but Newt had chosen a slightly more difficult route in an effort to get back to his original holiday roots.

Fluffy white footie pajamas had been paired with a white baseball cap decorated to look like the beloved dog’s head by means of the eyes and nose painted on. Two long pieces of black fabric were fastened to the sides of the hat to represent floppy ears.

A visit to the little store Sonya had mentioned earlier provided a dainty yellow bird trinket that would be perfect for pinning onto his shoulder once he was in costume.

After slipping on the soft pajamas, carefully tucking away every bit of his hair under the hat, and getting his feathery friend situated, he both scrutinizes and admires himself in the closet door mirror.

Yes, he does look a bit ridiculous to a certain degree, but his pictures probably won’t end up as one of those cursed “nightmare fuel” internet posts or anything like that.

It was also pretty comfy, he was walking around in pajamas after all, which was a nice bonus. A considerable improvement from itchy wigs.

Feeling satisfied with this ensemble and eager for the night to begin, Newt leaves his bedroom with a bounce in his step.

Wait.

He freezes in the doorway and calls out into the hall. “Sonya?”

No answer, just muffled conversation and the occasional laugh coming from next door. Sonya and Harriet were still busy getting ready in her room.

They had decided to wait until the party to reveal and surprise each other with their costumes. He couldn’t wait to see whatever the girls had come up with and Sonya’s face when she saw Charlie Brown and Snoopy for the first time since childhood.

Their annual festivities weren’t actually set to begin until a while later, not that there was a formal time really, and Newt was going out to meet Thomas for some trick-or-treating.

Yup. Trick-or-treating.

Apparently, taking his ten-year-old neighbor was a little tradition of his own and earlier this week he’d invited Newt to join them. He agreed, thinking it would be a nice way to kill time until the main event of the night.

He rushes downstairs and takes a final look at the decorations Sonya and he had so diligently put up before heading out the front door.

The breeze outside, which has the slightest nip to it, is just strong enough to send leaves floating through the cool air and the sun isn’t too far from completely setting. Absolutely perfect.

And thank god, it hadn’t been raining. It would fucking suck to accidentally step in a puddle and turn these perfect clean pajamas into a damp muddy mess.

It only takes a couple of blocks of briskly walking and waving to the numerous trick-or-treaters roaming the sidewalks to reach their designated meeting place.   
The neighborhood playground was mainly just a grassy area with a single swing set and some monkey bars. Thomas and who must be his little friend are occupying the two swings.

As if the grass may be poisonous, Newt stops in his tracks and stands cautiously on the edge of the pavement. He really doesn’t want grass stains.

“Hey!” He calls out to the two boys.

With that, they both jump off their swings and jog over. The incredibly pleased smile Thomas has becomes even more clear as they approach. 

Newt goes to take a bow before remembering he’s wearing a hat.

“Wow, we actually pulled it off!” Thomas gives him a mini round of applause.

“I think we did.” He gets his own good look at his costume partner’s attire. “You look great!”

He does. And no, he isn’t wearing a bald cap of any kind. Instead, he’s used a surplus of gel to style his dark hair in such a way that somehow manages to resemble the few ink lines Charlie Brown has for “hair”.

It’s like night and day contrasting that and the stylishly unkempt thing he usually has going on.

The classic yellow t-shirt paired with a pair of black shorts has successfully transformed Thomas into the deadpan character he aimed to become for the night.

“Uh, hi?” 

An awkwardly toned yet charming voice interrupts their costume admiration session.

Oh yeah. The neighbor. He’s the pre-teen boy Newt expected with a babyish round face, the kind of rosy cheeks that his elderly relatives probably love to squeeze. 

His lively blue eyes and chestnut curls are half obscured by a black hat and an eyepatch. It’s a nice pirate costume.

Thomas blinks a few times before moving to introduce the two strangers. “Shit. Newt, this is Chuck.” 

“I can introduce myself thank you very much.” 

“My bad.” Thomas throws his hands up in a surrendering gesture. “Go ahead then.”

The boy, Chuck, steps forward and holds out a hand.

Newt’s slightly taken aback but after a moment he grasps the pudgy hand and gives it a nice shake. “Good to see you, Chuck.”

He starts to scowl. “Actually, it’s Charles.”   
Before there’s even a chance to question or correct the apparent mistake, the boy bursts into childish giggles that’s punctuated by a loud snort.

“Kidding!”

Newt humors him and laughs a little, but Thomas just rolls his eyes and playfully wacks the pirate hat, making it go sideways on Chuck’s head.

“Let’s go, weirdo. Your candy bag isn’t going to fill itself.”

“Can’t I take my time meeting the famous Newt I’ve heard so much about?” His honeyed words aren’t exactly subtle.

Thomas actually goes as white as the bedsheet Charlie Brown once wore while trick-or-treating.

“Famous Newt?” Newt repeats, his curiosity peaked.

“Yeah. You’re like… the king of Halloween.” Chuck explains, but he’s looking at Thomas rather than the person he’s talking to. “You might be a dog this year, but you still kinda look cool.”

That last sentence gets a real laugh out of him. “I’m going to take that as a compliment.”

“We really should get going.” Thomas cuts in, a serious and almost strange expression taking over his face.

Chuck complies, but not before letting out one last snorting laugh. “Fine, the sooner I get KitKats, the better.”

They set off towards the closest house and it becomes very clear this won’t be a boring trip around the neighborhood. 

Chuck is a very talkative kid, the type who’s definitely not lacking in the “eccentric dialogue and marginally invasive questions” department. 

Newt doesn’t mind the questions, as strange as they might be. They have a certain hilarity to them and Thomas never fails to have the best reaction.

His eyes go wide as he attempts to stammer out an apology and scold his little neighbor who just cackles the entire time.

Despite all of that mischief, it’s evident they have a sweet relationship and that Chuck really looks up to the older boy. There are a few moments where Newt almost finds himself envious, not in a bitter way or anything.

Yeah, Newt has Sonya, the twin bond is truly irreplaceable, but sometimes he wonders what it would be like to have a little sibling figure like that.

He can see why Thomas never seemed to mind missing out on hangouts with the group when he was occupied with the job of babysitting.

After a good stretch of heading up to porches that actually had their lights on, which included semi-heated debates about which candies deserved to be in the trash in between each house, the trio’s time together came to an end.

“Enjoy that plastic you call Twizzlers!” Newt calls out as him and Thomas watch to make sure Chuck gets inside safely.

“I sure will!”

He stops in his tracks and does a dance from a certain video game, as most fifth-graders do at any given moment, before waving one last time and going through the front door.

Thomas immediately lets a loud groan.

“I am so sorry about him.”

Newt doesn’t even realize who he’s talking about at first. “Chuck? He was great!”

“I think so too.” He’s visibly relieved. “I was just worried… you might think he was annoying or something.”

“Thomas, I had fun. Don’t worry.” Newt confirms this in a firm, yet kind-hearted, manner. 

He holds back a smile as he gives Thomas a dramatic stare while straightening his hat. And of course, he has to think of something wonderfully cheesy to say.

“It’s time to get the real party started.”

//////

And the party is certainly going when they approach the edge of Newt’s tombstone scattered front lawn. There’s no discarded red Solo cups and toilet paper thrown up in the trees or anything that cliche, but it’s impossible to miss the beautifully chaotic energy of such a gathering.

Well, numerous cars parked on the street is a pretty good indicator too.

They let themselves into the home and are greeted by the loud buzz of chatter, laughter, and occasional yells compiled together and the light aroma cinnamon from the plug-in wall air fresheners. 

Your standard radio pop music, although there’s no doubt some classic Halloween tunes will make an appearance, is playing from some unknown source.

Passing by the living room and the small group inside reveals the first few costumes of the night. A gothic style vampire, a zombie... soccer player, and a decent attempt at Pennywise the clown.

With the aid of her apparent ‘twin sense’, or maybe she just happened to be looking up at the right moment, Sonya is the one to notice them enter the packed kitchen.

“Newt! Newt’s here! And Thomas!” She chimes with her contagiously cheery voice, instantly alerting everyone of their presence.”Oh my god!”

All eyes are on them. At least all the ones belonging to people hanging around the messy kitchen island.

The several cheers that ring out are instantaneous and if he’s being honest, Newt kinda likes the attention, despite feeling flustered and suddenly much too hot in his pajamas.

He glances at a stiff Thomas standing beside him. His smile gives off the impression of someone pretending they don’t have a really bad cramp rather than a person who’s enjoying themselves.

“That’s so cute!” 

Meanwhile, Sonya is practically jumping up and down as she looked them both over before engulfing all of them into a group hug. 

Her honey-blond hair, which is a tad lighter than his own, has been done in two messy pigtails and faintly dyed at the tips, blue and red respectively.

The colorful jumpsuit she’s wearing and Harriet’s outfit, a shiny emerald dress, and luscious cherry colored wig spell it out.

Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy. It’s impressive, indeed.

Sonya lets go, returning to Harriet’s side and the two begin to strike a couple poses. Some of the others mirror Newt’s own approval by clapping for the pair once they finish. 

He raises his hand to his sister and she responds with the expected high-five, one of those huge stinging ones he despised when he was younger. 

“You guys look fucking awesome!” 

“Says you, Snoopy!” She happily exclaims in an almost breathless manner and looks over Thomas once more. “Charlie Brown. Priceless!” 

Thomas just nods and smiles, obviously overwhelmed. “Thanks.”

“So glad you guys are finally here!” She makes a hand motion to an open blue cooler sitting on the counter. “Want a drink?” 

It makes sense they’ve already broken into the stash of alcoholic beverages that have been accumulated for tonight. Sonya is commonly a lively and bubbly person, especially when it comes to being a party host, but this is a bit much.

“I’m good.” Newt declines the offer. He’d prefer to be in his right mind to keep an eye on his sister and home just in case things get a little too wild.

“A beer is fine,” Thomas speaks up after a moment of staring hard at the cooler.  
That single beer is promptly tossed to him which despite the suddenness, catches with only a little bit of fumbling, a small surprised noise escaping him.

The kitchen explodes with too-loud laughter.

“Oh! Minho’s in the backyard if you want to show off to him too!” Sonya says through her giggles. She leans back onto Harriet who kisses the top of her head and begins to play with her pigtails.

A special type of joy fills Newt as he watches the two for a split second before leaving the room. He puts his sister’s happiness on the same level of his so that’s one thing he won’t have to worry about.

And there’s not actually much to worry despite earlier trepidation. Now it’s just time to face the inescapable and lighthearted teasing from Minho. No type of party would really be complete without his snarky, yet jovial, comments.

It’s back into the wonderful autumn night air.

“NewThomas!” Minho yells the names merged together as one just like he’ll do occasionally when he thinks it’s funny. (It’s not.) “Welcome!”

They exchange a look before taking a seat at the patio table everyone’s sitting around. Newt does his quick costume analysis and examinations of his closest friends that are present.

Minho is Spider-Man, simple as that, but he looks cool. It’s pretty difficult for him not to look cool. 

Teresa has shown up as an especially adorable Pikachu, wearing a long-sleeved yellow dress and bearing the lightning bolt tail and pointy ears. 

Supplying everyone with an excellent throwback, Brenda has become Katniss Everdeen, no french braid, but the bow and arrow are there slung over her shoulder

Newt had also gotten a glimpse of Frypan as the laughing-crying emoji and Gally as the blue Twitter bird back inside.

“Well, you’ve done it again.” Minho’s initial reaction is as expected. “I’m impressed. Your hat feels like it’s staring into my soul and I’m mildly creeped out, but still impressed.”

“And for once, Thomas’s hair actually has some life to it,” Minho says before taking a long drink of his own beer.

Thomas reaches across the table and makes a threatening motion to tap the bottom of the can while Minho drinks with audible gulping noises. 

“Can’t believe I’m sitting by the budget version of the Peanuts comic.” He shakes his head after swallowing.

Newt actually snorts at that.

“I can’t believe I’m looking at the newest adaptation of Spider-man that nobody wants to see.” He assuredly replies. “Into The Minho-Verse said no one.”

“I’m patenting that.”

They go back and forth and almost immediately Brenda joins into the banter. She’s probably wittier than the two of them combined and definitely knows it. 

Before long, hilarious, and more than often embarrassing, stories from their younger days are being recalled and everyone is subjected to reminders of dumb shit they’ve done. 

This is exactly what Newt needed. Pure fun and relaxation with his friends, no worries. Short hangouts during lunch periods just weren’t cutting it lately.

Next to him, Thomas is clearly enjoying himself now, no doubt the fresh night air and alcohol loosening him up.

Newt has the realization that he’s never actually seen him drink at a party, or at all for that matter. He subtly pays close attention when he raises the can to his lips once again.

Thomas takes a sip and scrunches up his face in disgust before heavily swallowing. It’s a near miracle that the beer didn’t end up spit out all over Minho based on the apparent struggle it took to get it down.

The sight is… endearing. That’s the word. 

Newt makes sure his grin appears to be directed at something Teresa said which isn’t hard to do considering it’s a particularly detailed retelling of a certain incident from seventh grade involving a game of telephone.

It’s the all too familiar noise of the squeaky sliding glass door opening that interrupts their storytelling. 

Sonya, Harriet, Gally, and Frypan with a bunch of others in tow practically run outside in a stampede of face-paint, wigs, and good spirits.

“Guys! We have to take pictures!” 

Well, who could argue with that?

Everyone gets in front of the orange light cloaked fence and enacts an impromptu photoshoot, the role of photographer switched around from one another.

After the main group pictures, the different couples do their own separate thing. And yes, Thomas and Newt are included in that.

Their costumes would look pretty strange by themselves and it would be even stranger to not take pictures of their handiwork after all of that grief.

Although, it’s painfully awkward for a few seconds after Sonya instructs Thomas to scoot closer and for some reason, the thought of taking prom pictures pops into Newt’s mind. 

Thank god, that’s over before he really has a chance to think about it.

“Okay, back inside before we freeze to death!” Sonya announces rather unceremoniously once they’re finished. She even chatters her teeth for extra effect.

It’s not ridiculously cold, but the wind now has a bite to it that crosses over the line between comfortable and bothersome.

Newt goes to follow the crowd back inside before a sudden hard tap on his shoulder makes him jump out of his skin and literally jump in place. Well, it was probably more like a flinch.

Thomas.

“Woah, sorry!” He steps back and his hands fall to his sides. “I was just going to ask if we could… stay out here for a bit longer and just… talk?”

Oh. It’s kinda an odd request, but Newt can see this certain urgency in the boy’s eyes.

“It’s just really loud in there…” Thomas starts to further explain before being cut off.

“Sure.”  
“You guys coming?” Minho is standing by the still open sliding door while people shout at him to hurry up and shut it.

“We’ll be inside in a few minutes!” Newt calls back to him.

Something that almost seems like a smirk appears on his face. “Alright, don’t have too much fun without me.”

They end up sitting on a stone bench near the garden that’s been turned into a little cemetery with the help of some creative decorations.

The seat isn’t the comfiest, but it’s a great view. The fake cobwebs strung up in the tree above them cast a sort of otherworldly effect. A couple brilliantly carved and lit jack-o-lanterns are placed around sparingly. 

Now, this is Halloween.

“So. What did you want to talk about?” Newt breaks the peaceful silence after it becomes clear that Thomas doesn’t plan on starting the conversation he requested.

It almost seems like he’s sitting as far away as possible without actually falling off the bench.

“Yeah. I actually wanted to tell you something.” He’s staring at one of the pumpkins. “God, Minho’s going to kill me if I don’t tell you tonight.”

“Huh?” That last mumbled statement piques his curiosity. “Tell me what?”

“Oh my god, I thought that beer might make this easier, but I still don’t know how to say it.” Thomas is shifting around now and not once making eye contact. “Okay. Let me ask you something.”

“...Yes?”

“Have you noticed that… I’ve acted pretty weirdly around you lately?”

Newt doesn’t really want to answer that, but the apparent self-awareness is nice.

“I have, actually.”

It’s quiet besides the party sounds coming from inside. Thomas exhales loudly.

“I was nervous. Very nervous. Still very nervous.” His words are coming out at breakneck speed and it takes a bit of effort to understand. “... Do you know why?”

It hits him. It hits Newt like a ton of bricks. Every single piece of the puzzle has come and all fit together. He hadn’t even realized there was a puzzle to solve.

“You like me.”

Silence is his confirmation.

“For how long?” He adds as a million thoughts and questions run through him.

“Eighth grade.”

“Eighth grade?!” Newt laughs in complete disbelief. “You didn’t.”

“I did.”

He’s wearing a Snoopy suit and one of his friends is confessing their love for him. An actual fever dream.

It’s a relief that Thomas had chosen this dark location to drop this absolute bombshell because Newt doesn’t even want to know how many different shades of red they’ve both turned in the past minute.

“So, Minho knew.” He really shouldn’t be surprised about that fact.

“Yes. I just can’t believe you didn’t know.” Thomas actually looks up at him, revealing a shy smile. “I was trying to be obvious so I wouldn’t have to tell you!”

“I’m sorry!” Newt feels enough frustration about it for the two of them. “I’m shit at these things.”

“Me too.”

At some point, they’ve scooted closer to each other, knees just barely touching.

“Then how are we going to manage on a date together?” Newt jokes with newly found confidence.

“Date?” Thomas looks like he might faint.

“Aren’t you asking me out?”

“Well… no? I mean… do you even like me like that?” 

“It’s never really crossed my mind, but why not?” Newt candidly answers. “You’re cute, funny, and sweet.”

“Okay. It’s a date then.” Thomas is grinning and his teeth gleam white in the darkness. “I just have to figure out what that date is.”

“Sounds nice, Tommy.” The nickname comes out of nowhere, but it feels right. Just right.

Newt removes his hat and carefully sets it on the grass before cuddling up closer to Thomas and smoothly resting his head on his shoulder.

He’s full of butterflies. The good kind that make you feel like you can fly yourself. It’s either flying around the rooftops or giggling out of pure happiness and euphoria.

They both start doing the latter.

And the night isn’t even over yet.


End file.
